Terry Klein

Terry Klein writes songs and sings them for people and makes records and drives around in his 2015 Toyota Venza and plays a lot of shows. The Austin American-Statesman calls him “one of Austin's top singer-songwriters in recent years.”  

Terry’s first two albums, Great Northern (2017) and Tex (2019), were produced by Texas folk hero Walt Wilkins and garnered praise from Mary Gauthier and Rodney Crowell and press and radio outlets across the United States and Europe. For his third album, Terry went to Nashville and worked with producer and multi-instrumentalist Thomm Jutz. Recorded over a few breakneck days in October 2021 and released in February 2022, No Depression said Good Luck, Take Care "has a knack for telling poetic stories in songs about the sad, funny, ironic, and devastating ups and downs of our lives" and American Songwriter said the album "conveys honesty and emotion that gives the listener a clear connection."

Terry’s fourth album, Leave the Light On, was also recorded and produced by Thomm Jutz in Nashville and was one of the most critically acclaimed singer-songwriter albums released in 2023. It made American Songwriter’s Top 17 Albums of 2023. Saving Country Music said “the 10 songs of Leave The Light On are like 10 little universes that you’re eager to unearth and unravel, hanging on every word, and re-racking them to catch what you might have missed the first time.” In Glide, Jim Hynes wrote “With such a legacy of great Texas songwriters, in this millennium, after just four albums Klein stands among the best.”

Terry’s newest record, Hill Country Folk Music, is out now. Thomm Jutz recorded and produced the album at his Nashville studio over four days in August 2025. Jubilant, defiant, desperate, and contemplative, it refuses to be pigeonholed. Kind of like the Texas Hill Country, like folk music, like Terry himself.

Terry has played in some of the most hallowed rooms in the singer-songwriter business: Club Passim, The Bluebird, The Saxon Pub, The Blue Door, and Godfrey Daniels, to name a few. He’s played sets and won over crowds at the Moccasin Creek Festival, the Blanco River Songwriters Festival, the Corpus Christi Songwriters Festival, the Hotel Turkey Songwriters Festival, and the Montrose Music Festival. Before all that, a couple of lifetimes ago, he played in a heavy metal band in Los Angeles, thrashing around on grimy, storied stages like the Troubadour and the Whiskey A Go Go. Somewhere in the middle, Terry worked in politics and then as a trial lawyer. He lives with his family in Austin, Texas.

Here's what folks are saying about Terry Klein:

"Terry Klein has the poet’s heart and it's very much in evidence on his brand new collection of songs." 
--Rodney Crowell

"Terry Klein’s songs bring me into his world, they make the crossing from one heart to another with ease. 'Better Luck Next Time' could have been written by Springsteen, Van Zandt, or Earle. But, no, this amazing song came from the guitar of a wonderful new voice in songwriting -- Terry Klein. Close your eyes, give a listen, and let his songs take you on a ride. It’s a beautiful journey." 
--Mary Gauthier

"When I heard the songs on Great Northern for the first time, I was floored. I knew I was hearing a true songwriter, and a true craftsman. These songs deal with real moments, elements, depths of the human spirit. The songs here still move me. Welcome a strong collection of songs and a new clear, bold voice.” 
--Walt Wilkins